Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Shrove Tuesday

"Shrove" must be Old English for "pancake" because half the churches around here are hosting pancake suppers tonight. Shmoo has his own pancake supper here, made up of four oat pancakes (the best for serving cold!) with a tiny container of maple syrup for dipping, some Smart Bacon, home-fried new potatoes, and an orange.Verdict: What's not to like? Unfortunately, shmoo left the lid off the syrup container when he finished his lunch and tossed it in his backpack. A delicious, if somewhat sticky, 5 stars.P.S. Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, and shmoo's class will be sharing a simple meal of rice to welcome in the Lenten "fasting" season. So no lunch box, and I'll be fretting all day over his emptyish tummy. But I'll be making him a big breakfast and afterschool snack!

Yep, it's a private Catholic school. He also has to go to a special Ash Wednesday Mass. He always tells us "I hate mass", and we keep thinking he's saying "math" and offering to do flash cards with him. LOL

Ash Wednesday brings back memories of my school years. We would get ashes placed on our foreheads and weren't allowed to wipe them off until the end of the day. In high school we would take the city bus home and were so embarrassed to get on the bus with ashes on our foreheads. Not cool.

Boy.. I love this site more and more every time a meal gets posted. :-)

Regarding the pancakes - they were/are seen as a way to use up the rich ingredients like eggs and butter that wouldn't be considered appropriate for consumption during Lent. It is why Shrove Tuesday is also called "Fat Tuesday" - you are using up all the fat stuff.

quick question from a jewish lunchbox reader..what exactly is the religious significance of ash wednesday? i understand what easter and good friday represented but was just curious as to why ashes are placed on the forehead for this holiday..thanx!

^ I'm Jewish too and am feeling a little ignorant, so I looked it up. I know it's Wikipedia, but this seems like a nice short explanation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ash_Wednesday .

Heh, I used to lisp, too, though I didn't have that typical "th" lisp. It went away when I was just a little older than Shmoo is -- his might just disappear too, but if it continues still, you might want to seek out the services of a speech language therapist. It's probably not something someone would want to grow old with.

Good call on the oranges. I am now eating an orange a day, and the old apple saying should be switched. At first they didnt agree with my digestive system (too much detail?) but now it appears my enzymes and what not have optimized for it. I just love it. So cheap, tastes great, and is probably good for you (other than the tons of sugar in it).

I love cold pancakes! I don't know if anyone had noticed this before, but Shmoo has a bunch of LT lunchboxes! (or are they just the different inner containers?)Anyhow, I think Obentec should just send them free to Shmoo in all available colors! This blog is doing excellent marketing for these lunchboxes! (Hi, Tammy & Amy!)

I just read a comment from yesterday's post about homeschooling so I thought to chime in (again).We homeschool, and our kids have these lunchboxes, and yes-they use them!I think every vegan kid should have a cool lunchbox like this. Hey, they don't have as much options out there foodwise- at least make their lunch fun! And homeschoolers NEED OUTINGS, you know!

Jennifer, it sounds like your family is not Catholic. If private school is your choice, you might consider your local Seventh-day Adventist school for your son. As a denomination is has the largest school system, up to University level, outside of Catholic church and the largest health system of any denomination. It is also more veg and vegan friendly than most schools. Many of the members are vegetarian and a growing number are vegan, also, no mass.There was recently an article in National Geographic that stated as a group Seventh-day Adventists are one of the healthiest in the world. Loma Linda Medical University has done a long term study and because of their lifestyle, they live an average of 6-10 years longer with better quality of life than the general population of the USA; 6 years longer are the vegetarians and 10 years longer are the vegans. They even have a really great kids program for boys and girls together, that is similar to the Boy and Girl Scouts, lots of nature and they never eat meat. Just something to consider.

Hi, I have two questions, I have asked before but they have never been answered. First I am wondering, do you make these lunches in the morning, or the night before? How logn does it usually take you? Also I am wondering how he carries everything, some days he has a lunchbox and a thermos too, where does the thermos go? Thanks.

Jennifer, this is something that my mother used to makes for us for picnics, it travels well, easy to eat and is good at room temperature. You fry together the following with just a little oil: vegan vegie burger crumbles, finely shredded cabbage, and finely diced onions. Seasoned with a little salt.Let the mixture cool.Take bread dough roll it out and cut into squares, put some of the filling into the middle of each square and make into individual bundles.Bake and cool for a packed lunch or eat warm with soup for a nice family meal.I don't know if little shmoo likes cabbage, we didn't, except like this! Just an idea.

i'm pretty sure that little shmoo was brought up omni until he started asking questions about jennifer's special food---vegan food---and on that information decided to be vegan himself. that's what i remember from a previous discussion of the subject of little shmoo's deLightful lunches.

jennifer seems to me to be righteous without the self, earth-conscious and thoughtful.

About the Anonymous comment at 9:29 PM: Why is it that non-veggies get so uppity about children being vegetarians? Don't they realize that parents always instill their own values in their children? Whether it's religion, political beliefs, or diet, kids learn things from their parents.

My daughter has been vegetarian since birth (not vegan), since I had been vegetarian for almost 8 years before she was born. If she decides to eat meat when she gets older, that is her decision, but for now I will feed her the healthiest diet I can. (and btw, she has been 90th to 95th percentile for both height and weight since she was a baby). I think it's much more disconcerting when parents pass on their unhealthy habits to kids.

I really don't see why people feel compelled to post negative comments about this blog (e.g., the whole Oreo argument the other day). It's obvious that Jennifer is trying to fix her son healthy, delicious lunches and share the ideas with everyone. It hardly seems controversial to me!

Great blog, Jennifer- I just started reading recently. It has inspired me to make my daughter's lunches more exciting!

Hi.. I red your blog avery day... but unfortunatly I red english a little better I can write.... :S

Congratulations! this site is source of inspiration for a lot of peoople who has kids.. :)

I have a question... little shmoo decide himself be vegan??' wooooooww for that kid!!!How old is he? ..- I have a litle boy ( 3 y old) and I start to find problems in partys, supermarket and every place i go... :SI like yo kwon your experience to raising veg kids.. :)

Hello Shmoo, my name is Sky Cosby and I'm from Walla Walla originally. I run a site called Pirate Papa and would love it if you would share it with your friends and contacts. I will toss links up to your pages soon as I love your recipes! Please put me in touch w/ your husband if he would like to write anything for my blog.

adenostoma said...About the Anonymous comment at 9:29 PM: Why is it that non-veggies get so uppity about children being vegetarians?

I can't figure that out either! All children eat the food their parents provide for them - until a kid gets old enough to cook all their own meals, that's just inevitable: and until a kid starts earning, they eat the food their parents buy for them. That happens whether the parents are vegan, vegetarian, carnivorous, omnivorous, or Orthodox Jewish. Providing a kid is getting enough to eat, it isn't anyone's business but their own and their parents what they eat.

Me, I'm lacto-ovo vegetarian - I love cheese. Maybe the groovy little shmoo will be vegan when he grows up, or vegetarian, or omnivorous like his dad: but meantime, he gets to eat beautiful nourishing healthy food, and there are many kids in the US who don't.

I find it far more objectionable that kids that age are being made to fast for a religion they don't necessarily subscribe to - I hope at least they're getting brown rice, not white. (A large bowl of brown rice for lunch is perfectly nourishing.)

(Jennifer, "Shrove" is the past tense of "Shrive" - "Shrove Tuesday" is the day a good Catholic goes to confession to prepare for Lent, and - as I think someone else already said - pancakes are made to use up all the eggs and fat that people won't be eating during the 40 days of fasting before Easter.)

"I find it far more objectionable that kids that age are being made to fast for a religion they don't necessarily subscribe to"-It is a Catholic school. Such a school is intended for Catholics, people who do subscribe to that religion. It wouldn't really seem fair if all the other children are not eating meat on Ash wednesday and some do.

"It is a Catholic school. Such a school is intended for Catholics, people who do subscribe to that religion. It wouldn't really seem fair if all the other children are not eating meat on Ash wednesday and some do."

Abstaining from substantive food (since it’s more than likely white rice) is much more detrimental to little bodies than not eating meat for a day. I wonder what the teachers think of this policy? I can’t imagine much learning gets done with hungry tummies.

To Jennifer, thanks for the lovely blog. I've been reading since October and I'm constantly impressed by your creativity. Keep up the good work!~Katherine

Yes, as someone said pancakes were a way to use up all the "rich" ingredients which weren't allowed over Lent. Since all the rich stuff was used it was "Fat Tuesday" - ie "Mardi Gras" in French. I can't believe I forgot it was shrove Tuesday, I could have had pancakes! I'm not sure what I'm giving up for Lent though.

Oh and also, I hope this doesn't sound like an advertisement, but I'm guessing you use vegan bath products as well. LUSH products (www.lush.com) has lots and lots of Vegan products, and I LOVE their stuff. It's all organic and as natural as they can make it, and handmade. They have lots of stuff kids love too. I just put another order in today (I swear I don't work for them!)

It wouldn't really seem fair if all the other children are not eating meat on Ash wednesday and some do.

Huh? What's "fair" got to do with it?

As I understand it, these are kids under 7 - they're not old enough even by Catholic standards to take part in a religious fast, and in any case, fasting for religious purposes is hardly meaningful if it's imposed by school fiat.

>>i may sound dummy to all this but how do you keep your son lunch fresh until his lunch time?

The lunch box goes into an insulated case that has a pocket for an ice pack.

Hi, Kristina -- We have a large population of Seventh Day Adventists here, but I had never heard of SDA schools. I'm intrigued!

>>Hi, I have two questions, I have asked before but they have never been answered. First I am wondering, do you make these lunches in the morning, or the night before? How logn does it usually take you? Also I am wondering how he carries everything, some days he has a lunchbox and a thermos too, where does the thermos go? Thanks.

Hi, J -- Actually, those questions have been asked and answered quite a lot! Re. timing, it depends on the lunch; some lunches are made in the morning (like these pancakes) and others are made the night before and warmed up in the morning (like soups). I pack the lunch box and take its picture in the morning. How long it takes depends on the meal; some are quick and easy, others take a bit more time.

Re. packing, his lunch box fits into an insulated carrying case which I put in his backpack. When he carries a thermos I place it next to the lunch case inside his backpack.

>>to make vegan pancakes, do you use an egg substitute, or do you just make them eggless?

Some recipes use Energ Egg Replacer, ground flax, or whirred silken tofu, and some just leave the egg out and you don't miss it. This particular recipe uses ground flax blended with the liquid ingredients. And yes, it will be in my cookbook!!

>>i'm pretty sure that little shmoo was brought up omni until he started asking questions about jennifer's special food---vegan food---and on that information decided to be vegan himself.

That's correct. With an omni husband it's not like he can be raised in an all-vegan environment, so day to day it's up to him with my help and support. But of course I know vegan parents raising wonderful, healthy vegan kids from the get-go, and I think that's wonderful.

Thank you so much for your kind words, adenostoma. Shmoo has been over 95th percentile all his life, too!

Hi, Vegetarianita! He is 7 1/2.

>>As I understand it, these are kids under 7 - they're not old enough even by Catholic standards to take part in a religious fast, and in any case, fasting for religious purposes is hardly meaningful if it's imposed by school fiat.

To clarify, it was not "imposed", we had a choice to opt out. And I'll confess I did pack him a pb&j just in case!! I, too, wonder what the school day will be like with a bunch of empty tummies, but I'm sure one meal won't kill 'em. I'm *positive* they will not be getting brown rice -- they'll be lucky if it's not Minute Rice! LOL

We are omnivores but I have in common with you the idea about reducing garbage and eating healthy (our version). I try to use recyclable containers, not buy packaged food, and feed my kids healthy seasonal food.

I have known vegans who feed their kids lots of packaged junk food because it is vegan. But then again their are vegans who are the opposite extreme; this goes for every category of eater out there not just vegans. I don't believe people can be easily pegged. If your son didn't choose to be vegan who cares as long as he is eating healthy food and enjoys it.

I always check out vegan/vegetarian sites and magazines because one can always find a great recipe!

Jenniferschmoo, I just wanted to thank you for your blog. I've been toying with going vegan for about a year (which is when I became a ovo-lacto-vegetarian) and even with being fairly well researched, I still had that nagging feeling of 'What am I going to eat?' Since I've been visiting your sight and seeing all of the variety, that feeling/fear has gone away. So, I've given up all animal products for lent. Hopefully all goes well for the next 40 days and this becomes a lifestyle change. Again, thank you for giving me the courage to do what I've known is right in my heart for so long now.

Love your site! I have been vegetarian for 12 years and am now vegan largely due to this site and the Vegan with a Vengence cookbook. I also love your personal blog. I have a 7 yo first grade boy and can really relate to many of your stories that had be laughing out loud!! Also, my husband of 10 years became vegetarian 2 years ago so there is some hope!

Hi there - a few weeks ago I stumbled upon this miraculous blog! I am a 16 y/o vegetarian from Newfoundland, Canada. It had become ridiculously difficult to find suitable foods for lunch until I found The Vegan Lunchbox! These lunch ideas have helped me out a whole lot - just wanted to say thanks :D

Yay, Beth, that's great! 40 days will be a good amount of time to learn and get comfortable with it. Don't feel bad if you take a break at Easter and come back for another 40 days -- some people need to ease into it. You might find, like I did, that after a while the vegan times feel more natural and that you can actually think of *more* things to eat then versus during non-vegan times, and then you're set!

Speaking of vegan junk food, I took a trip to the store today and have a new treat for tomorrow's lunch...if I can resist eating it myself!

Mmmm, this gives me so many ideas for my pesko-vegan boyfriend! He eats bad food!

I got my ashes today at university. The priest reminded us that the purpose of Ash Wednesday was to help us think about the great emptiness that can't be filled with "food, drink, or new clothes" but only with God. When I got my ashes smeared on my forehead, he said, "You come from ash, and to ash you will return." So the goal is to think about your sins and start atoning for them, like on Rosh Hoshanah (excuse my spelling). It's a bit Zen, to me. I like it.

Looks really good...! I am Baha'i and I commence tomorrow what is called The Fast, where I do not eat or drink (not even water) from sunrise to sunset for a total of 19 days. So I'll take a look at your marvelous blog either way early in the morning or later at night when I'll be able to eat!

i found that really powerful what was written above about "coming from and returning to ash"..im a jewish girl..but respect the sacrifices made during lent..and was very intrigued to find that pancakes are a common food during mardi gras!

Oops! My apologies for not reading carefully that the anonymous poster at 9:29PM yesterday was also vegan. I am used to disapproving omnivores questioning vegetarian children. I also agree that this development makes the whole comment even more strange (or interesting?).

Take care, everyone!

P.S. My daughter enjoyed some applesauce with flax cinnamon sugar, and edemame in her lunch today! She loved it!

Ash Wednesday isn't just for Catholics...I'm Methodist and we observe it as well. And Lent. I became a vegetarian during Lent two years ago by giving up all meat for Lent. Our pastor likes the giving up meat thing. :) I'm about to head out to services, so happy Ash Wednesday to all!

Jennifer, I checked online and there is a SDA School in your area: Tri-City Junior Academy is located at 4115 West Henry Street, between Sylvester and Court and near Road 42 in Pasco, Washington. It has grades K-10. Check it out if you have the chance. I don't know how close that is to you, but it might be an option to consider for little Schmoo.

Once you publish your cookbook you might check with them about doing a Vegan Lunchbox cooking class for interested parents and have your cookbook available for sale. There is a local SDA church in Kennewick and two others in the Tri-City area, they also might be interested in you doing a cooking class for them and selling your cookbook. Little Schmoo could help, and show other children how fun it is to help pack their own lunch.If I lived closer, I certainly would attend.

I think the idea about doing a cooking class for your local SDA Church or school would be great. I am very impressed by the Adventist lifestyle and how the church stresses the importance of health. I have several friends who are Adventists, and some of them are vegan as well. I have recently started attending an Adventist church, and they just had a vegetarian cooking class. I am sure your cookbook would be well received in the Adventist community.

The oranges should be eaten straightaway after you cut it. It loses the nutrients (i.e. vitamins & minerals) if exposed too long in the air. No point eating it unless it's just the fibre you are after. Otherwise, it looks like an absolutely delicious meal.

Karen Anne - the Fast is connected to Ramadan in the sense that Baha'is believe all religions are connected or one, as they are all one - the religion of God - sent to us at different times of humanity's development. Their purpose is related, as most religious fasting has to do with, as chickywang said so nicely, remembering the non-physical that alone can 'fill' us. The 19 days of fasting from sunrise to sunset then end with the Baha'i new year, so we're preparing ourselves spiritually for a new year.

I'm not vegan, but both my husband and I are vegetarian and have been searching for some good ideas for our lunchboxes. Your blog looks like it will be wonderful for inspiration, Thank you very much for taking the time to do this.

Just went through your archives with my kids to show them all the yummy things that your son gets for lunches. They all said "He gets better lunches than we do!" So you have inspired me, and have helped me to think "outside the box" :) Can't wait to start using some of these ideas in our own lunches! Thanks so much!

PS I grew up in Yakima and still have a lot of family in the area, and a cousin in the Tri-Cities area :)

Your blog is great and I enjoy the recipes that I've read. You have been doing this for awhile. Can you give some advice to a first time blogger. I wanted to know if there is any downside to the Adsense ads with your blogs? Any downside with the blog thing? I know you are real busy trying to answer these comments, but if you can answer back thanks.

I like this blog and your recipes. I am a first time visitor. I started a blog for the first time today. You have been at this for awhile. Is there a downside with having a blog or any serious reprecussions for advertising, etc. If you were to do it over again, would you do anything different. My blog focuses on personal growth resources and tips. Thanks for any replies.

I’ve been lurking here for quite a while and just wanted to pop in to say I love your blog and shmoo is one lucky little boy! I wish someone would fix me lunches like these.

My boyfriend of five years surprised me the other day by commenting that kids shouldn’t be raised veggie because that decision shouldn’t be made for them! Well, if I had things my way the decision to eat meat for the first 14 years of my life wouldn’t have been made for me either, but kids eat what their parents feed them that’s how it goes.

As someone who was emotionally scarred and remains very bitter about my 9 year sentence in a K-8 Catholic school I would urge you to listen to little shmoo about hating mass and any other complaints he may have about his school and make sure there’s nothing serious going on there. I hated mass too…and math for that matter ;)

I used to be a vegetarian (since 4th grade), then went back to eating meat in college, and recently have been steering away from the meat, but found myself bored with salads. Your site has given me so many creative, healthy alternatives and ideas to incorporate into my meals. I never contemplated going vegan until reading your site and seeing that there actually are many options out there. Thank you and keep up the good work. Also, in your cookbook it would be so helpful if you had some kind of a rating system on how difficult it is to prepare the meal as well as how long it takes to prepare.

Hi, Alex -- Sure, I've had a few repeat requests. We've had fondue twice, and tortilla-bean wraps are another favorite. I was thinking of doing a "shmoo's top five" week towards the end and letting him vote for his favorite lunches of the year.

>>When will your cookbook be out?

I'm still not sure, but I work on it every day, so stay tuned! When I have a publication date I'll let everyone know.

>>what did Schmoo eat today?

It was Ash Wednesday "rice bowl" day. He ate half the pb&j I stashed in his bag at the last minute, but the rice got rave reviews because it came with packets of soy sauce. :-)

I wanted to also agree with the above poster about catholic grade schools. please please listen to little schmoo if he has complaints about mass or the teachers or whatever. i know you help out at the school, so i'm sure that you can see for yourself what the school and the teachers are like on a day to day, personal basis, but i spent one horrific third grade at a catholic school before my parents pulled me out, which was the best thing that ever happened to me.

if he's happy there, and so are you and his dad, that's excellent too. i just really feel obligated to say that i found catholic grade school to be a spirit-crushing place that tried its best to kill my love of school, and succeeded in terrifying me out of any love of math i might have ever developed. i hope that catholic grade schools have changed, since i just realized that third grade was more than 10 years ago for me (i can't be getting OLD, can i?!), but the fact that he only gets 20 minutes to choke down his lunch already makes me feel apprehensive about it.

anyway. yeah. just some well-intentioned advice that you probably shouldn't take too seriously, since i'm obviously still emotionally traumatized by third grade, but i felt i had to offer it anyway :)

best of luck, and keep up your wonderfully inspirational lunchbox work!

hi,i know this is a really late post, but i have had fantastic luck veganizing pancakes by putting a few tablespoonfuls of vegan sour cream in the batter. the difference it makes in thickness and texture is just amazing and the pancakes come out thick, fluffy, and delicious! please try this out yourselves and you'll never miss eggs in your pancakes again!